Welcome to Trumpworld, where the developer-in-chief sees dollar signs in the rubble of Gaza

In the White House’s venerable East Room, it became clear that Trump 2.0 is entering a dangerously expansionist phase

Some of the destruction caused by Israeli air and ground offensives, in Rafah. US President Donald Trump has said: 'The US will take over the Gaza Strip, and we’ll do a job with it, too. We’ll own it.' Photo: AP/Jehad Alshrafi

The venerable East Room, where Abraham Lincoln lay in state and Pablo Casals played cello, had turned into a mosh pit. Sweaty reporters, photographers and camera crews were crammed elbow to elbow. The Guardian shoehorned its way into a corner where a panel had fallen off the wall. Never used to happen in Joe Biden’s day.

The big event, an hour and a half later than billed, was Donald Trump’s joint press conference with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the first foreign leader to visit the White House in Trump’s second term. Two lecterns, two US flags and two Israeli flags were set up before a gold curtain between two elaborate crystal lamps.